"This is about the politics of the time."
Emperor vs Sarat Chandra is set to bring one of Bengal’s most controversial literary battles back into the public imagination.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Srijit Mukherji, the project will dramatise the stormy history of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s incendiary novel Pather Dabi.
The novel was first published in 1926.
The book introduced readers to Sabyasachi, a radical revolutionary who confronted the British establishment with unflinching defiance.
Such bold storytelling shook the colonial authorities, prompting an official ban within months of its release.
That act of censorship only deepened the novel’s impact, transforming Sarat Chandra from a celebrated storyteller into a dangerous dissenter against imperial control.
Mukherji revealed that the film’s script has already been finalised, with pre-production currently underway and shooting slated for November.
The release has been scheduled for May 1, 2026, a symbolic date coinciding with the novel’s centenary year of publication.
The film will be produced by SVF and DAG Creative Media.
It will weave together political upheaval, cultural defiance, and the personal journey of the novelist himself.
Alongside Sarat Chandra, figures such as Rabindranath Tagore and Chittaranjan Das are expected to appear in the cinematic retelling.
The director emphasised that his vision expands beyond simply adapting Pather Dabi.
It will instead capture the entire climate that surrounded the book’s suppression.
Mukherji explained: “This is about the politics of the time, the power of literature, and what banning a novel really meant.”
The project is already drawing comparisons to earlier attempts at adaptation, particularly Sabyasachi, directed in 1977 by Pijush Bose.
That film featured Uttam Kumar in a commanding lead role, joined by Supriya Devi, Anil Chatterjee, Bikash Roy and Tarun Kumar.
Mukherji, however, insists his version will be far broader in scope, focusing less on plot and more on atmosphere and impact.
At the peak of his popularity, Sarat Chandra’s works were not only beloved in Bengal but translated and published across India.
Even Oxford University Press released English versions, proof of his towering status within both literary and political circles of the time.
For Mukherji, what remains remarkable is Sarat Chandra’s decision to risk his legacy by taking a stand against the Empire.
He stated: “The greatest writer of his age raised his pen against British power, despite knowing the risks. That inspires me deeply.”
Nearly one hundred years later, Emperor vs Sarat Chandra promises to resurrect that same defiance, with a filmmaker unafraid of ambitious storytelling.
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